Tractor-mounted power assist means for elevating front-end weights

ABSTRACT

A hydraulic cylinder support bracket is pivotally suspended from underneath the central forward end of a tractor. A lever arm is pivotally interconnected between a front-end weight resting on the ground and the underside of the tractor forwardly of the hydraulic cylinder support bracket. Extension of the hydraulic cylinder elevates the front-end weight to a position for connection to the front of the tractor.

of a tractor. A lever arm is pivotally interconnected between a frontendweight resting on the ground and the underside of the [/1963 Stilley...11/1965 Pilch.......

A hydraulic cylinder support bracket is pivotally 5/1966 Lonngren.3,375,021 3/1968 Grider............ 3/1968 Korensky et PrimaryExaminer-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Robert J SparAttorneys-H. Vincent Harsha, Harold M. .Knoth, William A.

Murray, John M. Nolan and Jimmie R. Oaks ABSTRACT:

suspended from underneath the central forward end tractor forwardly ofthe hydraulic cylinder support bracket.

Extension of the hydraulic cylinder elevates the front-end weight to aposition for connection to the front of the tractor.

214/77, 212/49, 280/150 E ....B60r 11/00, B66C 23/72 280/150 D,

Norman Frederick Lemmon Cedar Falls, Iowa Appl. No. 850,736

Aug. 18, 1969 Deere 8: Company Moline, Ill.

FOR ELEVATING FRONT-END WElGHTS 16 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs. [52] US. 1 1

150 E, 150 F; 214/77, 78, 80 77 P; 212/49 References Cited UNITED STATESPATENTS 2,722,320 11/1955 Dobeus et al.

Patented July 27, 1971 Int.

United States Patent [72] Inventor 22 Filed [73] Assignee s41TRACTOR-MOUNTED POWER ASSIST MEANS PATENTfinJuLzmn 595.410

' sum 1 or 2 'FIG.I

FIG. 2

PATENTEBJULZTIHH 3,595,410

SHEET 2 [IF 2 1 N VENTOR N. F. LEMMON TRACTOR-MOUNTED POWER ASSIST MEANSFOR ELEVATING FRONT-END WEIGHTS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to a power assist means for elevating front-endweights to a position for attachment to a tractor and more particularlyrelates to a tractor-mounted hydraulically actuated lever means forelevating a front-end weight from a ground-resting position to aposition for attachment to the front end of a tractor.

As tractor power and the horsepower-to-weight ratio have increased overthe years, the problem of attaching front-end weights or ballast totractors has become more pronounced since the amount of ballast requiredfor some operations has increased to weights of at least 2,000 pounds.

I-Ieretofore, the most common types of front-end weights have been thosewhich are mounted or removed by hand and since they must be made inweight increments small enough to be handled without undue efi'ort, thejob of mounting such weights is tedious and time consuming. It is knownto use a hoist or like apparatus to lift heavier weights into place formounting on a tractor, but this requires that a tractor be driven towherever the hoist is located and this too can be time consuming,especially if the tractor is in a remote area when it becomes necessaryto add ballast.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, there isprovided a tractor-mounted power assist means for elevating ballast orweight into position for attachment to a tractor and more specifically,it is an object of the invention to provide a hydraulically actuatedassist means for elevating a front-end weight from a ground-restingposition to a position wherein it may be attached to the tractor.

Another object of the invention is to provide a U-shaped hydrauliccylinder support bracket and a forwardly extending lever pivotallysuspended by one of their respective ends underneath the central frontend of a tractor and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally interconnectedbetween the free end of the support bracket and an intermediate point ofthe lever.

A further object is to provide a tractor front-end weight or ballasthaving means for pivotal attachment to the free end of the power assistlever and being recessed to provide clearance for the lever as theweight is swung from a position on the ground to a position forattachment to the tractor.

Still a further object is to provide the actuator support bracket withan abutment for contacting the chassis of the tractor as the hydrauliccylinder is extended.

Another object is to provide a lever which is dimensioned so as to bewithin the confines of the front-end weight when the weight is in theposition for attachment to the tractor so that removal of only thehydraulic cylinder and its supporting bracket is necessary to provideunobstructed working clearance beneath the tractor.

A further object is to provide a power assist means which can be easilyand quickly attached or removed from a tractor and which is safe inoperation.

These and other objects will become apparent from the detaileddescription and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of the tractorshowing the front-end weight of the present invention mounted thereonand with one wheel of the tractor removed to expose the entire weight.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front of the tractor shown in FIG. 1with portions broken away and further showing the power assist mechanismfor lifting the weight from the position on the ground, shown in dottedlines, to the full line position for mounting on the tractor.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the power assist mechanism shown in FIG. 2but with the hydraulic cylinder removed.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,there is shown (FIG I) a tractor 10 which includes a chassis 12supported by front and rear pairs of wheels 14 and 16 respectively. onlyone of each being shown, the front wheels being carried at opposite endsof an axle 18.

A front-end weight or ballast 20 is supported on the front of thetractor 10 and includes a central V-shaped portion 22 and opposite sideportions 24 and 26. A pair of fore-and-aft-extending elongated U-shapedweight-retaining brackets 28 and 30 are disposed on opposite sides ofthe tractor and have respective web portions 32 and 34 adjacent therespective front-end weight side portions 24 and 26. The bracket 28 hasopposite horizontal leg portions 36 and 38, the rear ends of which areinterconnected by an upright apertured plate 44, which is fastened tothe side of the tractor by means of stud bolts 48. The bracket 30similarly has opposite horizontal leg portions having their rearwardends connected by an upright plate 46 bolted to the opposite side of thetractor. The web portions 32 and 34 are respectively slotted as at 50and 52 for reception of the threaded ends of respective T-bolts 54 and56, the head ends of the T-bolts being received in apertures 57 and 58in the front-end weight side portions 24 and 26, which apertures slantforwardly from the rear of the sides to the inner surfaces of the sidesand have respective intermediate neck portions 59 and 60 which permitpassage of the body portions only of the T-bolts. Nuts 62 are on thethreaded ends of the T-bolts and when tightened secure the front-endweights 20 to the tractor.

The power assist mechanism of the present invention includes a bracket64, which includes respective apertured horizontal rear and verticalfront portions 66 and 68, which are respectively fastened to theunderside and forward end of the tractor chassis 12 by stud bolts 70,the horizontal and vertical end portions being interconnected by anupwardly and forwardly inclined generally L-shaped intermediate portion72. The intermediate portion 72 has vertical flanges 74 and 76 at itsopposite sides and adjacent pairs of aligned apertures are formed in thesides and receive mounting pins 78 and 80, the apertures receiving thepin 80 being slightly above and forwardly of those receiving the pin 78.A lever 82 includes a pair of transversely spaced parallel arms 84 and86 joined by a connecting plate 88 and having transversely alignedapertures at their opposite ends, which respectively receive themounting pin 80 and a mounting pin 90 carried by a transverselyapertured U-shaped bracket 92 fastened to the inner top portion of thefront-end weight 20 by bolts 94. An elongated U-shaped cylinder supportbracket 96 has transversely aligned apertures in the ends of itsopposite legs which pivotally receive the mounting pin 78. The bracket96 also has a transversely apertured lug 98 fixed centrally on its web,and a hydraulic cylinder 100 has one end pivotally connected to the lug98 and has the other end pivotally connected to a lug 102 fixedcentrally on the connecting plate 88 of the lever 82. A strap 104 isaffixed to the opposite legs of the bracket 96 and is positioned so asto engage a surface of the chassis, here shown as the axle 18, of thetractor when the hydraulic cylinder is extended.

The power assist mechanism is readied for operation by fixing theweight-attaching brackets 28 and 30 to the opposite sides of the tractor10 and by fixing the bracket plate 64 to the lower front portion of thetractor. The tractor is then driven to the position wherein the weight20 is between the front wheels 14 and partially underneath the front endof the tractor as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. Before attaching thebracket 92 to the front-end weight, the lever 82 is pivotally attachedto the bracket by inserting the mounting pin 90 through the alignedapertures in the bracket and lever end. The cylinder support bracket 96and the free end of the lever 82 are then pivotally secured to thebracket plate 64 by inserting the mounting pins 78 and 80 through thealigned apertures in the respective ends of the lever and cylindersupport bracket and the bracket plate. The opposite ends of thehydraulic cylinder 100 are pivotally connected to the lug 98 on thecylinder mounting bracket 96 and to the lug 102 on the connecting plate88 of the lever 82. The hydraulic cylinder is then pressurized byconventional means (not shown) to extend its piston rod and the actionof the cylinder between the bracket 96 and the lever 82 will first causethe bracket 96 to swing rearwardly until the strap 104 abuts against theaxle l8 and then cause the lever 82 to swing upwardly to the solid-lineposition (FIG. 2). Next, the body portions of the T-holts 54 and 56 arepositioned in the slots 50 and 52 of the side brackets 28 and 30 and thenuts 62 are tightened to securely fasten the front-end weights to thebrackets. Once the frontend weight is securely mounted on the tractor,the cylinder and its mounting bracket are removed to provideunobstructed clearance beneath the tractor, it being noted that thelever 82 is left connected to the tractor and to the front-end weightand is disposed within the confines of the front-end weight.

While a solid, one-piece front-end weight has been illustrated anddescribed, it should be understood that the power assist device isequally applicable for elevating composite front-end weights which areassembled as a unitary mass before attachment of the lift lever 82.Also, it should be understood that instead of removable mountingbrackets being used, suitable brackets may be made unitary with thetractor chassis 12 for providing connections for the front-end weightand the power assist device.

lclaim:

l. A power assist means adapted for elevating a front-end weight from aground-resting position to a position for attachment to a tractorcomprising: a lever pivotally connected to the lower front end of atractor for vertical pivoting move ment between a first lower positionwherein the lever may be pivotally attached to a front-end weightresting on the ground and a second upper position wherein a weightlifted by the lever is in position for attachment to the tractor, saidlever having means adapted for pivotal attachment to a front-end weight,a mounting bracket pivotally connected to said tractor rearwardly ofsaid lever, and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally interconnected betweenthe bracket and the lever whereby extension and retraction of thecylinder will swing the lever between said first and second positions.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket ispivotally connected to the tractor forwardly of the tractor front axleand includes an abutment positioned for contacting the front axle of thetractor upon extension of the hydraulic cylinder.

3. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the bracket is U-shaped withthe upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the tractor and withthe hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected centrally to the web.

4. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the lever includes a pair ofparallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate theirends by a plate and said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connectedcentrally to said plate.

5. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the lever includes a pair ofparallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate theirends by a plate and said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connectedcentrally to said plate.

6. Power assist means for attaching ballast to a vehicle comprising: alever pivotally connected for vertical swinging movement about ahorizontal axis adjacent said vehicle and including attachment meansadapted for pivotal attachment to a ballast resting on the ground, abracket pivotally secured in depending relationship to said vehicleinwardly relative to said lever, and a retractable and extensible powermeans pivotally interconnected between said lever and bracket wherebyextension and retraction of said power means will swing said leverbetween a lower position wherein said lever may be attached to a ballastand an upper position wherein a ballast carried by the lever may beattached to said vehicle.

7. The invention defined in claim 6 wherein said vehicle and saidbracket have opposed abutment surfaces which come into contact uponextension of said extensible and retractable means.

8. The invention defined in claim 7 wherein the bracket is U-shaped withthe upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the vehicle and withthe extensible and retractable means pivotally connected centrally tothe web.

9. The invention defined in claim 7 wherein the lever includes a pair ofspaced parallel arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plateand said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connectedcentrally to said plate.

10. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein the lever includes a pairof spaced parallel arms interconnected intermediate their ends by aplate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connectedcentrally to said plate.

1]. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means forelevating the weight from a ground-resting position to a position forattachment to the front end of a tractor com prising: a tractor, afront-end weight having front walls and sidewalls defining an openingfor receiving the lower corner of the front end of said tractor, atransverse, horizontal pivot connection located within the upper portionofsaid opening, a lever having one end pivotally connected under thefront end of said tractor and the other end connected to said pivotconnection, said lever being angled complementary to the lower frontcorner of said tractor and being positioned adjacent thereto when saidweight is in position for connection to said tractor, and a bracketconnected to said tractor, and extensible and retractable meanspivotally interconnected between said bracket and lever.

12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein said tractor includesspaced front wheels interconnected by an axle, and wherein the bracketis pivotally mounted to the tractor forwardly of said axle and includesan abutment positioned for contacting said axle upon extension of theextensible and retractable means.

13. The invention defined in claim 12 wherein the bracket is U-shapedwith the upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the tractor andwith the extensible and retractable means pivotally connected centrallyto the web.

14. The invention defined in claim 13 wherein the lever includes a pairof parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate theirends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotallyconnected centrally to said plate.

15. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means forlifting the weight from a ground-resting position to a position forattachment to the front end of a tractor comprising: a front-end weighthaving front walls and sidewalls defining an opening for receiving thefront end of said tractor, a transverse, horizontal pivot connectionlocated within the upper portion of said opening, a first bracketaffixed to the underside of the tractor front end and includingtransverse horizontal pivot connection means, a lever and a secondbracket each having one end connected to said pivot connection means ofsaid first bracket, the other end of said lever being connected to saidpivot connection of said front-end weight, and an extensible andretractable means pivotally interconnected between the other end of saidbracket and lever.

16. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein said lever has a lengthless than the vertical height of the front-end weight and wherein saidpivotal connection of the lever to the tractor is positioned so as to beenclosed by said sidewalls of the frontend weight when the weight is insaid upper position whereby upon fastening the front-end weight to thetractor the bracket and extensible and retractable means may be removed,so as not to obstruct tractor clearance, leaving the lever in placeenclosed by the front-end weight.

1. A power assist means adapted for elevating a front-end weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to a tractor comprising: a lever pivotally connected to the lower front end of a tractor for vertical pivoting movement between a first lower position wherein the lever may be pivotally attached to a front-end weight resting on the ground and a second upper position wherein a weight lifted by the lever is in position for attachment to the tractor, said lever having means adapted for pivotal attachment to a front-end weight, a mounting bracket pivotally connected to said tractor rearwardly of said lever, and a hydraulic cylinder pivotally interconnected between the bracket and the lever whereby extension and retraction of the cylinder will swing the lever between said first and second positions.
 2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the mounting bracket is pivotally connected to the tractor forwardly of the tractor front axle and includes an abutment positioned for contacting the front axle of the tractor upon extension of the hydraulic cylinder.
 3. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the bracket is U-shaped with the upper ends of the legs pivotally attAched to the tractor and with the hydraulic cylinder pivotally connected centrally to the web.
 4. The invention defined in claim 2 wherein the lever includes a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.
 5. The invention defined in claim 3 wherein the lever includes a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said hydraulic cylinder is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.
 6. Power assist means for attaching ballast to a vehicle comprising: a lever pivotally connected for vertical swinging movement about a horizontal axis adjacent said vehicle and including attachment means adapted for pivotal attachment to a ballast resting on the ground, a bracket pivotally secured in depending relationship to said vehicle inwardly relative to said lever, and a retractable and extensible power means pivotally interconnected between said lever and bracket whereby extension and retraction of said power means will swing said lever between a lower position wherein said lever may be attached to a ballast and an upper position wherein a ballast carried by the lever may be attached to said vehicle.
 7. The invention defined in claim 6 wherein said vehicle and said bracket have opposed abutment surfaces which come into contact upon extension of said extensible and retractable means.
 8. The invention defined in claim 7 wherein the bracket is U-shaped with the upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the vehicle and with the extensible and retractable means pivotally connected centrally to the web.
 9. The invention defined in claim 7 wherein the lever includes a pair of spaced parallel arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.
 10. The invention defined in claim 8 wherein the lever includes a pair of spaced parallel arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.
 11. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means for elevating the weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to the front end of a tractor comprising: a tractor, a front-end weight having front walls and sidewalls defining an opening for receiving the lower corner of the front end of said tractor, a transverse, horizontal pivot connection located within the upper portion of said opening, a lever having one end pivotally connected under the front end of said tractor and the other end connected to said pivot connection, said lever being angled complementary to the lower front corner of said tractor and being positioned adjacent thereto when said weight is in position for connection to said tractor, and a bracket connected to said tractor, and extensible and retractable means pivotally interconnected between said bracket and lever.
 12. The invention defined in claim 11 wherein said tractor includes spaced front wheels interconnected by an axle, and wherein the bracket is pivotally mounted to the tractor forwardly of said axle and includes an abutment positioned for contacting said axle upon extension of the extensible and retractable means.
 13. The invention defined in claim 12 wherein the bracket is U-shaped with the upper ends of the legs pivotally attached to the tractor and with the extensible and retractable means pivotally connected centrally to the web.
 14. The invention defined in claim 13 wherein the lever includes a pair of parallel, transversely spaced arms interconnected intermediate their ends by a plate and said extensible and retractable means is pivotally connected centrally to said plate.
 15. A combined tractor front-end weight and power assist means for lifting the weight from a ground-resting position to a position for attachment to the front end of a tractor comprising: a Front-end weight having front walls and sidewalls defining an opening for receiving the front end of said tractor, a transverse, horizontal pivot connection located within the upper portion of said opening, a first bracket affixed to the underside of the tractor front end and including transverse horizontal pivot connection means, a lever and a second bracket each having one end connected to said pivot connection means of said first bracket, the other end of said lever being connected to said pivot connection of said front-end weight, and an extensible and retractable means pivotally interconnected between the other end of said bracket and lever.
 16. The invention defined in claim 14 wherein said lever has a length less than the vertical height of the front-end weight and wherein said pivotal connection of the lever to the tractor is positioned so as to be enclosed by said sidewalls of the front-end weight when the weight is in said upper position whereby upon fastening the front-end weight to the tractor the bracket and extensible and retractable means may be removed, so as not to obstruct tractor clearance, leaving the lever in place enclosed by the front-end weight. 